Hey all, call me a noob or what ever but i just got into skyrim recently and i just bought it but didnt play it yet because of exams... gotta study but when i do play it i was wondering which race is right for my play-style

1) Im a magic guy, love mages and magic 2) I also like combat 3) not big on stealth after all, this aint no splinter cell4) whats this about werewolf's?5) preferably i'd like to be a magic/combat based character

well i went breton they skilled in speech and they good for magic they are also very resistant to magic i think. they have a amazing ability to absorb incoming mana which is handy whereas high elf has extra mana and regeneration it is weighted toward high elf but they look retarded so breton is the best haha hope i helped

You're best three options out be High Elf, Dark Elf, or Breton. All have the same capabilities, but Breton would be a defensive race, while the two elves would be Offensive given the racial powers they get. You can look at the pluses to skills they get and make a better determination.

Depends on what schools of magic you plan to use. If you want a destruction based character that also uses weapons in close range, go for Dark Elf, best Destruction race hands down, also has skill in Light Armor and 1H. If you want a conjuration and/or healing based guy, go for Breton, great starting stats for a summoner/support mage, with the potential to throw in some melee to the mix with the appropriate perks. If you want a mostly magic based guy who ONLY uses weapons when desperate (If you're out of Magicka, have no Magicka potions, and have low health) go for High Elf, best magic skills overall, but no starting combat skills, so you'll be relying on your spells mostly. And finally, if you want a character who is more weapons based, but uses Destruction from time to time and heals himself with Restoration magic, go for Imperial, good combat-based stats overall, slight bonus in Destruction and Restoration. Unless you're planning on RPing, it's good to stay away from Nord, Orc, and Redguard. Not that you can't make a capable wizard with these races, but their skills are mostly centered on combat. Khajiit, Wood Elf, and Argonian might not be the best either, they're better suited as assassins, archers, thieves, etc.

It really depends on what type of mage you want to be. Dark Elf's are the best destruction race whereas Bretons have the likes of Conjuration at their advantage. Dark Elf's I believe also start with a bit of melee on their stats.A High Elf is for those who want to use purely magic. You start with no other stats risen above 15 that are not magic I believe. Obviously you can raise other stats on what your character is going to be like. Don't make the mistake of choosing a race then deciding halfway through your run of the game that you want to change the way you're playing or your race. Your greater power really does come in handy if used correctly.

The best race in Skyrim would be the High Elf. There are only 2 things that differentiate all the races, and that's their powers and running speed. High Elves are the tallest, which means they're the fastest and can kite the best. Their power lets them have pretty much unlimited magicka for a short time, not to mention they bascially start at level 6 when the game starts while everyone else starts at 1.

Only other races that come close are Breton, and Orc because of their racial abilities.

In Morrowind I considered them a very niche race/pick for a character, and they were like that in Oblivion as well. In Skyrim they're without a doubt the best race in the game if you're competent at playing since you essentially get free stat points, lots of magick and that can roll over anyone. Not to mention that every race can do anything well.

In the end, when your character is at higher levels, race won't really matter much because they can all do the same thing. Altmer' magicka boost can be replicated and built upon using enchantment and regenerating can be as well. A ring and a few fortify enchanting potions and you've surpassed that.

The best race in Skyrim would be the High Elf. There are only 2 things that differentiate all the races, and that's their powers and running speed. High Elves are the tallest, which means they're the fastest and can kite the best. Their power lets them have pretty much unlimited magicka for a short time, not to mention they bascially start at level 6 when the game starts while everyone else starts at 1.

Ahh I remember coming into this from Oblivion and Morrowind, thinking Altmer would be the most powerful for the same reasons. Then I convinced myself that they were the best because +50 Magicka and +10% damage and running speed.Personal preferences aside, Altmer are the third most mechanically powerful race in the game.

Only other races that come close are Breton, and Orc because of their racial abilities.

Actually Breton does come far closer to number 1, than Altmer. Bretons have a Spell Absorption Power that lets them once per day, fight a whole bunch of Mages and dominate them as if they were fighting Skeevers. Before the bug was introduced to cause resistances to not matter, they could get 40+ Resist Magic before factoring in Guardian Stones and equipment.

Best race is Orc and here's why.1: Berserk Power, become an ungodly tank.2: Smithing boost, you start with higher Smithing. It's not much, but it does mean Daedric crafting a little earlier. At a lower level to everyone else. 3: Gloombound Mine, Narzulbur. Any Race can get into here after jumping through hoops, or fighting the Orcs inside. Only an Orc can get in here right away and access delicious Ebony.4: Altmer Racial Ability can be easily made obsolete by any Race via Fortify Magic Skill Enchantments.5: Breton Racial Ability is pointless due to bug and the power is granted by one of the most powerful Guardian Stones as an Ability.

In Morrowind I considered them a very niche race/pick for a character, and they were like that in Oblivion as well. In Skyrim they're without a doubt the best race in the game if you're competent at playing since you essentially get free stat points, lots of magick and that can roll over anyone. Not to mention that every race can do anything well.

Niche? In Morrowind and Oblivion? Niche?Nay, for they were the greatest. In Morrowind where Magicka only regenerated while Sleeping, Atronach Altmer are the superior option. Not only do their boosts to Enchant and Intelligence help them at the start, but their height makes them move faster and they can get up to 4.5x Intelligence as Magicka, unlike everyone else.In both Morrowind and Oblivion, an Altmer character could render the Racial Abilities of any other race, obsolete. Either through Spells, or Enchantments.

Spoiler:Oblivion Atronach

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.Remember my Immune to Magic and Melee guy with Constant Detect Life and Immunity to Paralysis, Disease and Poison from Oblivion? Yeah, the guy I could walk into a room and as long as they weren't being pelted with arrows, I could leave, make dinner, eat it, watch TV for about 30 minutes, then come back and all enemies would be dead.

Spoiler:Oblivion Atronach

Remember my Immune to Magic and Melee guy with Constant Detect Life and Immunity to Paralysis, Disease and Poison from Oblivion? Yeah, the guy I could walk into a room and as long as they weren't being pelted with arrows, I could leave, make dinner, eat it, watch TV for about 30 minutes, then come back and all enemies would be dead.

Spoiler:Oblivion Apprentice

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.Another Oblivion guy, anyone here remember the vampire guy who thought his Mages were better than mine? Here's one of mine, no Armour ever, only using the lightest possible 8 pieces of apparel. Sigil Stone Enchanted for an extra 400 Magicka, along with Apprentice, Altmer and 100 Intelligence, that's a total of 800 Magicka. Boost Intelligence and Magicka by 100 each in a single Spell and keep cycling until about 2000 Magicka. Then go 100 Speed, Chameleon, Strength, Feather, Personality, Acrobatics, Detect Life, Water Walking, Water Breathing, Spell Absorption, Restore Health... All for the maximum possible Magnitude and Duration. Keep cycling through these Spells and casting Nukes or backstabbing enemies. You're immune to just about everything as long as you keep stacking buffs.

Spoiler:Oblivion Apprentice

Another Oblivion guy, anyone here remember the vampire guy who thought his Mages were better than mine? Here's one of mine, no Armour ever, only using the lightest possible 8 pieces of apparel. Sigil Stone Enchanted for an extra 400 Magicka, along with Apprentice, Altmer and 100 Intelligence, that's a total of 800 Magicka. Boost Intelligence and Magicka by 100 each in a single Spell and keep cycling until about 2000 Magicka. Then go 100 Speed, Chameleon, Strength, Feather, Personality, Acrobatics, Detect Life, Water Walking, Water Breathing, Spell Absorption, Restore Health... All for the maximum possible Magnitude and Duration. Keep cycling through these Spells and casting Nukes or backstabbing enemies. You're immune to just about everything as long as you keep stacking buffs.

Spoiler:Morrowind Atronach

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.In Morrowind, an Altmer starts out with extra Magicka and Enchant. Neither of these is actually important later on though. What is important is their height, it makes them faster than everything else.Sure the additional Magicka may look nice, but Magicka is useless thanks to Enchant. Spells he a chance to fail and take too much time to cast for Spells to be optimal, Enchantments however, are instant. Enchantments once made, never fail and you can cast them as fast as you can push the button, provided you have enough Charge. From early levels, it's possible to get everything you need to level Enchant, Item of Soul Trap, Item of Fire/Frost/Shock Damage/Damage Health and Item of Restore Health. Forget Fargoth's Ring, it sucks.Okay then, you level up Enchant a little and realize that you are now Summoning Gold Saints effortlessly and harvesting their Souls for your Enchanting, you can regenerate Magicka by fully Draining you Intelligence at will for a second, you have a high Miss Chance thanks to Sanctuary, Atronach grants 50% Spell Absorption against enemy Spells, Constant Restore Health means you still can't die and constant Restore Attribute, means you don't have to worry about those pesky enemies that Damage Attributes.

Spoiler:Morrowind Atronach

In Morrowind, an Altmer starts out with extra Magicka and Enchant. Neither of these is actually important later on though. What is important is their height, it makes them faster than everything else.Sure the additional Magicka may look nice, but Magicka is useless thanks to Enchant. Spells he a chance to fail and take too much time to cast for Spells to be optimal, Enchantments however, are instant. Enchantments once made, never fail and you can cast them as fast as you can push the button, provided you have enough Charge. From early levels, it's possible to get everything you need to level Enchant, Item of Soul Trap, Item of Fire/Frost/Shock Damage/Damage Health and Item of Restore Health. Forget Fargoth's Ring, it sucks.Okay then, you level up Enchant a little and realize that you are now Summoning Gold Saints effortlessly and harvesting their Souls for your Enchanting, you can regenerate Magicka by fully Draining you Intelligence at will for a second, you have a high Miss Chance thanks to Sanctuary, Atronach grants 50% Spell Absorption against enemy Spells, Constant Restore Health means you still can't die and constant Restore Attribute, means you don't have to worry about those pesky enemies that Damage Attributes.

skythelegend The fact that you can be completely immune to magic with any race brings Breton's down a bit imo. Obviously it's much easier to do it with a Breton, than it is say with a Dark Elf the fact is that you can still do it. Which pretty much eliminates two of the Breton's Perks. Which in the end makes me see a High Elf/Breton at the same level, but the High Elf has more Magicka, can run faster and doesn't have a wasted racial ability, etc.

On the reason the Orc is the best the only positive I see out of that is Berserker Rage, and that's simply because it's the best racial ability in the game. Only downside is that it doesn't work with magic.

I've never liked the Altmer tbh, so maybe they're just niche for me. They're one of the best races for maxing everything though no question about it, and if you can play one you're undoubtedly godly. I mainly have never liked them because I've never really been a big fan of Magic for whatever reason. I would rather use more crude methods to kill somebody, haha. If you can deal with all their mechanics though Altmer is probably the best race in Morrowind/Oblivion.

LiveVoltage I would rather have the Imperial's Voice of the Emperor over the Battlecry of the Nord. It's bigger, has the same effect and I don't have to run and chase after everyone to kill them.

skythelegend The fact that you can be completely immune to magic with any race brings Breton's down a bit imo. Obviously it's much easier to do it with a Breton, than it is say with a Dark Elf the fact is that you can still do it. Which pretty much eliminates two of the Breton's Perks. Which in the end makes me see a High Elf/Breton at the same level, but the High Elf has more Magicka, can run faster and doesn't have a wasted racial ability, etc.

Oh man, your opinion being stated as something much more true is almost giving me a boner for Morrowind and Oblivion.Breton gets 25% Resist Magic, complete an easy quest for +15% Resist Magic, puts it up to 40%, almost half of all Magic completely ignored, no Spells, Powers, Potions or Equipped Items involved. Best Standing Stone is Atronach of course, though this does change a little if you're interested in employing the use of Summons. Then it becomes a little harder to decide, is it Lord or Steed?

Of course there's the whole Equipment can easily replicate a Breton's Racial Abilities, but that bonus Magicka Altmer have? 100% Fortify Alteration/Conjuration/Destruction/Illusion/Restoration. Having Magicka is useful in two three situations.1: You're low level.2: You're not crafting your own equipment.3: Vampire Lord, but you get bonus Magicka anyway.

Also due to a glitch that I believe still exists (has it been patched by Bethesda?), Resistances mean nothing, it's Spell Absorption or nothing.

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On the reason the Orc is the best the only positive I see out of that is Berserker Rage, and that's simply because it's the best racial ability in the game. Only downside is that it doesn't work with magic.

Another benefit Orcs have over Altmer and just about every other Race besides it's negligible bonus to Smithing that takes more effort to type out than is worth in any intellectual discussion, is the Strongholds.Gloombound Mine is the best source of Ebony in the game... Possibly besides Ravenrock, but that's DLC and I haven't checked it out yet. Orcs can enter starting level 1 right after hitching a ride to Windhelm and walking out to Narzulbur. While everyone else has their Altmer, Bretons, Redguard, Argonians, Dunmer, Khajiit, Bosmer, Imperials and Nords going diving for the Forgemaster's Fingers, fighting through all the Dwemer automatons and Falmer they can get their teeth through, my Orc is taking every last Ebony from Gloombound Mine, Smelting it, buying and Transmuting every single piece of Iron Ore she can get her hands on, Smelting it, Smithing it into Gold Rings, buying up every full Petty Soul Gem available, using the Water Breathing Enchantment and selling to access better raw materials for improving Smithing.

Besides going through Halted Stream Camp, there is no risk of the Orc dying at any point before she has the gear to more than make up for everyone else's combat experience.

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I've never liked the Altmer tbh, so maybe they're just niche for me. They're one of the best races for maxing everything though no question about it, and if you can play one you're undoubtedly godly. I mainly have never liked them because I've never really been a big fan of Magic for whatever reason. I would rather use more crude methods to kill somebody, haha. If you can deal with all their mechanics though Altmer is probably the best race in Morrowind/Oblivion.

Yeah their unique advantage was very minor in Morrowind. They were taller so had +10% Speed and Damage. Still, it's an advantage over everyone else.

In Daggerfall and Oblivion however, well in Daggerfall they were Immune to Paralysis (Crippling Weakness to Paralysis anyone?) and in Oblivion in adition to what they got from Morrowind, bonus Magicka actually had a point. ZOMG teh pwnage.

In Skyrim they have their unique Morrowind advantage, start at level 6 for the purpose of Magic-only no-gear challenges and can spend less time waiting for their Magicka to recharge one in-game half hour per in-game day. Which they still need to stop casting to regenerate anyway.

The only thing none of the other Races can replicate is the +10% Speed. Nobody can out-tank an Orc without exploits, nobody can get large quantities of Ebony without jumping through hoops unless they're an Orc and... Nobody bests an Orc. Sorry, I just had to use that one, even though it's not true in the sense it's most often used. Though I'm using it in terms of optimization, so it is true, just not how NPCs mean it.

skythelegend You should have a boner for Morrowind/Oblivion. They're godlike. I can't wait until Skywind comes out too (Morrowind w/ Skyrim graphics? Like Game of the Year please). On those three points where magic is useful I would just knock off the first one. Magic at the early levels is garbage, and only a few schools scale well. At least Destruction has fire magic which is helped on by Illusion perks and make it viable (I think 250DPS with a certain Dragonborn spell?). Which brings up another point. Illusion has to be one of the best skills... never experimented with it before Skyrim, but wow.

Another reason why the Orc berserker rage is great. You're not going to use it with damaging magic, you're going to use it to compliment your enchants/smithing so you can smash some more faces in, lol.

Necromage has to be one of the most broken perks in the game like jesus. Vampires are way too op in my opinion, and there are literally no downfalls to being one. Like oh my stats are decreased? That's okay because I'm immune to magic, and I'll just restore my HP. Thanks for trying bro.

Oh, and you're forgetting that Orc's are the 2nd fastest race in the game. I think only Altmer's are faster, and you're not going to run into an Altmer that's going to survive 1 hit from that Deadric Battleaxe now are you.

skythelegend You should have a boner for Morrowind/Oblivion. They're godlike.

Weren't you there for that enormous dick fight between me and the other Altmer player in the Oblivion forum?Both listed Oblivion characters in the above post for Oblivion, one (Atronach Birthsign) is the exact character I used in the argument, the other is a more powerful version of the character used by the other guy, because no armour.

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I can't wait until Skywind comes out too (Morrowind w/ Skyrim graphics? Like Game of the Year please).

On those three points where magic is useful I would just knock off the first one. Magic at the early levels is garbage, and only a few schools scale well. At least Destruction has fire magic which is helped on by Illusion perks and make it viable (I think 250DPS with a certain Dragonborn spell?).

Ahh, Magic may suck at low levels, but the point I made was about the Magicka stat, at low levels, you won't have massive boosts from equipment or the ability to completely bypass it. Therefore it's still relevant at low levels.Once you have a high enough Enchanting, you can completely bypass Magicka, making any boosts in the stat worthless.

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Which brings up another point. Illusion has to be one of the best skills... never experimented with it before Skyrim, but wow.

Necromage has to be one of the most broken perks in the game like jesus. Vampires are way too op in my opinion, and there are literally no downfalls to being one. Like oh my stats are decreased? That's okay because I'm immune to magic, and I'll just restore my HP. Thanks for trying bro.

Aye, Vampires are disgustingly overpowered. At least Dawnguard brought in it's own broken thing to compete with Vampirism. The Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow with Exploding Bolts.

Though that still doesn't exactly help the game's balance.

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Oh, and you're forgetting that Orc's are the 2nd fastest race in the game. I think only Altmer's are faster, and you're not going to run into an Altmer that's going to survive 1 hit from that Deadric Battleaxe now are you.

Nah, I'm not forgetting the Orc's movement Speed, I simply don't care. Altmer are the fastest, Bosmer are the slowest and everyone else is somewhere between.*checks uesp wiki*Damn those guys are big.

Well you could argue that if our characters fought, you'd run like a coward and send Dremora Lords and my own followers after me, but here we run into a bit of a problem. Without exploiting anything that gives infinite stats I would win (or at least draw) with both my main characters and here's why.

Orion the Male Orc, because I don't care about the +10% damage as much. I split my original main down two paths during the Dawnguard Campaign and found it irritating trying to keep track of both saves so I didn't overwrite the wrong one. So I started a level 1 Orc recently, Orion. He will become a Vampire and most of the time will fight in the form of a Vampire Lord. These things are as fast as Horses when Sprinting, I could easily match your Altmer Speed, unless you were to Sprint away as a Vampire Lord too. Obviously, if I'm going to spend a lot of time in Vampire Lord form, I'll want the Necromage Perk as one of my first and every single Perk in the Vampire Lord tree. As well as one of the last Perks from Alteration and the blessing of the Atronach stone.Okay, so Vampire Lord immune to your Magic, surrounded by a bunch of bats that damage enemies, chasing you down as you attempt to escape. The sun may or may not be blocked.If you manage to stay alive and are unable to die yourself, it's a stalemate. I'd wager that I have more Health than you and can Sprint for much longer.

Me the Female Orc, because damage is important! Full Daedric, Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow of Chaotic Health Absorption/Paralysis and exploding bolts of Fire/Frost/Shock.Again with the Atronach Perk and Guardian Stone, of course.Now this time, I only have 80% Spell Absorption, so 1/5 Spells should affect me. Of course you'd have to get over the Poisons of Lingering Damage Health and Paralysis I'll be packing courtesy of Hearthfire. Now being a Vampire, you may be immune to the Poison's effects, but the Perk in Archery still ignores the immunity to Paralysis.You could try dodging, yes, but it's a little harder than with a regular bow.If you come into melee range against someone with a Crossbow, it's much easier for them to fight back than it would be if they were equipped with a regular Bow, it's harder to stagger a Crossbow user before they're able to fire.

My levels, so for both characters, I'm attempting to get to level 252 on both characters by abusing Legendary Alteration. I'm putting 900 into Stamina for 1000 total Stamina and the rest in Health for a grand total of 1710 Health, maybe I should split more evenly with Stamina. I already have the 1000 Health and 770 Stamina on my Female Orc. She can Sprint for a while, really cuts down on travel times when I want to take in the scenery.